Unity Protocol Vehicles

The following is a list of common vehicles manufactured by Units and by companies operating within the Unity Protocol. They can be found throughout Traveller, and seen amidst the rest of the Aleph Null System new, used, or amidst any respectable junkyard.

Suited to driving on land across paved surfaces, or hovering off the ground. Generally, land vehicles are powered either by biodiesel and combustion engines, or electricity stored in hyperdense graphene batteries.

Land vehicles are recommended to be no wider than two and three quarters metres. This is so they can share the 3.75 metre-wide roads comfortably with other vehicles, and fit through laneways in colonies throughout Traveller. Minimal licensing is required to drive these vehicles, and the driving aptitude tests for operation and traffic awareness are considered easier to obtain compared to air vehicles.

The Podo Compact is a two-seater car known for its small size, suited to driving around cities and towns. It is manufactured throughout the colonies of Traveller, sporting a smooth and aerodynamic design and built with fibreglasses and light alloys to get the most out of its smaller, less powerful electric-powered engine.

It is often the subject of ridicule for its lack of grunt on the open road, but it is reliable, common, and easy to fix. It isn't uncommon for revheads to reinforce the frame of a Podo and replace the stock engine and parts with something powerful and robust, taking advantage of the car's light construction to go even faster.

The Locher is a four door sedan, considered to be the middle-of-the-road go-to for affordability, space, and fuel economy. Found used at any decent car salesman's, or new off the showroom floor, Lochers are a common sight throughout their city of manufacture, Noir, and throughout the roads of the moon-colonies of Traveller.

The car also comes in Offroad, Hatchback, Coupe, and drop-top Roadster models, with appropriate body and engine adjustments for sports or practicality. They are often modified into sleeper cars for their unassuming appearances and ubiquity.

A three-doored van with double doors at the back, two seats in front, and a roomy back space which comes with four additional seats by default. Gernsbecks can be ordered without the additional seats for customisation purposes, and are frequently changed by their owners.

The performance is nothing to write home about, but they are the perfect vehicle for mothers of many, roving bands of hippies laying on shag carpets, tradesmen who take their offices where they go, and cargo transporters alike.

A sports car of alien design with spherical 'tyres' and a novel suspension and handling system. When the vehicle turns, the wheels can change their rolling direction while keeping the car facing forwards, allowing the Tumbler to turn in place, strafe, and handle well in a drift. Most often though, the ability to strafe is used to make parking easier, and turning in place is a convenience.

The aerodynamics of the vehicle give it enough downward thrust to keep it pinned to any surface its driving, including inclines of up to sixty degrees provided it maintains speed. It is also common to see this driven on walls with modifications to the tyres and engine for additional grip and downthrust. It isn't uncommon to see them in stunt races, but they do not jump well.

The Kestrel Dual-Sport is a motorcycle is a biodiesel fuelled motorcycle manufactured in Sargasso and Noir. It comes in a variety of colours and exterior styles and liveries, but most advertisements give the bike a Crimson coat of metallic paint, thus the common nickname of 'Crimson Kestrel'.

It is renowned and loved by revheads for its power to weight balance, controllability, and most importantly: customisation. Many Greaseheart mechanics have had a Kestrel enter their garages at least once, or own one themselves. They are frequently installed with autonomous control mechanisms to allow users to 'call' the motorcycle to them.

This offroad dirtbike is built by the same manufacturer as the Kestrel Dual-Sport, and caters to an entirely different set of needs than its brother. Possessing a lighter frame and grippy tyres than the Kestrel, the Shrike is ideal for motocross, stunt biking, and being a nuisance in public spaces.

The versatility and appeal for the Shrike lies in how quickly the tyres can be changed, letting it drive well in urban roads one day, and off road with fifteen minute's work and some elbow grease. Its good balance also lends itself to popping sick wheelies too.

A Kolder Gorgul is a heavy framed off-road, hill-climbing motorcycle manufactured on Bias. It is recognisable with one chained wheel at the front, and a monstrous-looking half-track behind it. It is favoured in snowy or mountainous regions where roads are treacherous, slippery, or are merely suggestions in an otherwise dusty plain.

Oodling with torque, roaring like a tiger, and hugging the road with its half-track, the Gorgul is capable of climbing and sticking to slippery surfaces that would throw other vehicles off. However, it isn't intended to be driven for long periods on urban roads, paved surfaces, gardens, or indoors.

This plasma-powered airbike is considered the gold standard for airbikes, possessing good balance at rest and dynamic rebalancing with a rider and cargo, two gyroscopes to ensure stability on those tight turns, and strong forward thrusters which can be slammed into reverse or stop on a dime and additional air brakes. The Oryx is manufactured primarily from factory-refineries on Knife and exported across the Protocol.

Skimmers are also capable of flying over water or uneven surfaces with minimal fuss provided the user doesn't fall off, making them frequent finds in Bias, Nonna, and Sargasso.

A common sight in mining colonies, the Mautaber Drill Tank is a tough, boxy, diesel powered, earth-moving machine with a large series of drills on its front and tank treads, hence the name. The tank treads are capable of retracting from the body of the machine, allowing the drill to pitch itself up and down, and stay level whilst tunnelling.

Often, retired machines are modified to place the drills closer to the ground, and turn them into a secondary means of propulsion and spectacle for the popular sport of Drill Derbying on Sargasso and Bias, where drill tanks do laps in an open field and tear the ground to shreds in the process.

The following vehicles are propelled by anti-gravity technology to fly above traffic, and around the surface of a moon-colony without leaving the atmosphere. Licenses, lessons, and checks are required before a pilot can be cleared to use an air vehicle, as crashes and accidents are more likely to cause damage, injury, or fatality.

Air traffic for hovering vehicles is directed using holographic points and lines in the air to signify lanes and the flow of movement smoothly, and generally is active below an altitude of 1500 metres¹⁾. Aeroplanes and helicopters have a flight ceiling of 2000 metres, with higher altitudes intended for spacecraft.

A single engine, four seat, fixed high wing ultralight aircraft, the Estado is the small-time pilot's choice. Even though it is outpaced by most spacecraft, it is cheaper to run and perfect for moving from place to place within the same planet. It is also fitted with an 'airframe parachute', capable of deploying from a rocket boosted compartment. Its primary use is to ensure the crew's safety should the engine fail, and the airframe's structural integrity once the landing is made. It also buys a lot of time for passengers to get their own parachutes and bail out.

On the ground and turned off, the four-seater Tarkanovic appears to be missing its rotors and blades. In their places is an elaborate hardlight projection system. Once turned on, the blades spring to life, and the helicopter begins behaving as intended. Generally put to use by news crews and tourist operators, a luxury variant with an in-built wine-cooler and black/gold trim is often used by executives and the idle rich to show off their wealth.

The general standard for urban air vehicles, the Hover Sedan is the floatier, estranged half-brother of the Locher Sedan. While filling a fundamentally similar role in urban environments, its main difference is its ability to fly. To assist drivers with transporting items and passengers, the trunk is located in the hood, and most of the power is used in the gyroscopes. Together, this ensures a smooth and stable ride at any speed, adapting to many configurations and distributions of weight.

Hover Sedans remain relevant as, and dominate the taxi services industry. The vehicle's ability to reach a variety of locations high and low much faster than wheeled transport, and the privilege of taxi-only lanes in built-up areas keeps it head and shoulders above its land-bound competition.

The anti-gravity enabled equivalent of an eighteen-wheeler truck, the catch-all term for these ponderous vehicles is the humble Aerotruck. The primary bed of the truck is a single unit, integrated with the cabin, capable of holding a variety of stock, including shipping containers, logs, refrigerated units, tankers, and other dry bulk. They slide into the body of the truck from above or the sides. Once in place, the cargo is secured with hardlight-constructed clamps and tie-downs²⁾ and ready to go.

Due to their large amount of pictoral real estate, they are often used as floating billboards which can outrun the local hoodlums or culture jammers. Independent truckers decorate rigs with colourful murals on their boxes, bizarre neon patterns and black lights, glistering chrome paints or fittings, external speakers blasting crock music³⁾, and a daring and gaudy style - not unlike Dekotora and other decorated vehicles.

Known colloquially to doctors as the 'Donor-cycle' thanks to its crash rate, the Aerodrifter is a two-seater skimmer capable of flying much higher than hovering above the ground. Similar to its earthbound cousin, it shares a dual-gyroscope configuration for ease of control at high speeds, easily reversible thrust, and air brakes. It's possible to fly these things practically sideways, using a toned-down inertia dampening to achieve those breezy, drifty turns.

Appearing to be a small podium with landing struts and scooter controls, this upright platform is operated by a single person, essentially behaving as a ponderous air transport. The platforms are frequently fitted with hardlight barrier generators, tear gas canister launchers, and employed by police forces to act as quick control vehicles. Using firearms whilst moving above running speed is not advised, as recoil from heavy firearms can affect stability - especially at high speeds⁴⁾.

These vehicles are intended for aquatic environments, ranging from boats, to skimmers. Minimal licensing is required for recreational water vehicles, but larger boats or submersibles require aptitude tests to ensure the operator can use or crew the vehicle competently. These vehicles are produced primarily in Sargasso due to demand for both work and play.

The crotch-rocket of the ocean, the Thunder is a popular recreational craft for skimming around. Two models exist: one powered by biodiesel, the other powered by an electric motor. They share similar performance statistics, but the biodiesel engine is heavier than the electric, and catches a little less air than its lighter, electric cousin.

Thunders can be rented anywhere for between ¤20⁰⁰ and ¤40⁰⁰ per hour, depending on the quality of the beach and how much traffic comes by. Floating ramps of shallow gradients are left in the water for the allowance of simple tricks by tourists. Thunders have a failsafe that cuts the engine if the user pulls the safety cord out, or a backside is not detected on the driver's seat and feet aren't on the stirrups.

An inflatable rubber boat with a polymer frame and seating for four, capable of mounting an outboard engine or able to be rowed in an emergency with the included paddles under the seat. Bought new, the dinghy usually comes bundled with an air compressor to assist with pumping up the inflatable portion of the boat. Otherwise, it takes a very long time to get the boat seaworthy 'by hand'.

A four seater, go-fast styled motorboat capable of whizzing through the waves by planing over them. Its hull is composed of a mixture of laid-on fibreglass, ballistic fibres, and carbon fibre in a deep “V” shape. Its cabins can range from being wide open to allow more footspace or seats, or closed from the elements and concealing the driver and their cargo. The most frequent buyers of these speedy vessels are tourist operators, adrenaline junkies, smugglers, and gung-ho action movie producers.

A large cabin-cruiser styled motorboat with a generous amount of space: Fitting a galley and mess, a head, four berths, and a cockpit for the operator situated at the front of the vehicle. Essentially the crash-couch of the bay with its stable hydrodynamics and on-board power generator for amenities, it's not uncommon for friends to get together and have a party on the seas in a Cirrus. It's possible to see these vehicles residing in rivers and canals as well, used as houseboats. Luxury models are much longer than the standard Cirrus, making room for more opulent fittings and furniture inside the cabin.

A personal submersible watercraft capable of fitting three people comfortably, but lacking amenities. With sturdy, transparent Hellenium windows and frame construction, it is rated to withstand depths of up to 250 metres. It has oxygen suitable for four hours with three people inside, and is fifty feet long. Usually, these serve as escorts to underwater colonies within Sargasso or pressed into use for highly scenic tours.

It is also possible to buy a remotely-controlled, reduced-size version of the submarine for recording and examining the ocean and its contents. Consequently, the denser and purpose-made construction means it can withstand depths of up to two kilometres. The demand for this particular model stems from frequent marine biology and scientific expeditions around the reefs and deepwaters of Sargasso.

These space ships fit a single individual or up to six, and are usually suited to flying between Traveller's Moons, or other planets in the Aleph Cluster. More luxuriant models of personal ships feature living space on board analogous to a yacht, while others have ample cargo space for trade. It isn't uncommon for most privateers and freelancers to be owner-operators of such spacecraft, taking odd jobs from local space stations, and over communications networks.

Personal Spacecraft are not large enough to mount the engines and required subsystems necessary to ensure safe FTL travel between star systems, but they are easily capable of cruising through the system.

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